FOUR Watch Winders on a chain and my FOURTH colonial shoe buckle this year!

[Donnie B from VA]

Got out with my buddy, Danny, on Sunday to hit some cellar holes. It was a great day for digging in March. I love the weather we have been having this year. The day started slow for me and I only made a couple of finds before our lunch break including this possible International Order of Odd Fellows silver plated (lead backed) rosette. After we stopped to eat lunch I went back to the cellar hole because I kept telling myself that there had to be a coin next to the hole. This hole was filled with trash from the 30's or 50's (I suppose). I didn't find the coin I was looking for but I did make a unique find. I found a watch chain with FOUR watch winders! Late in the day I made my final great find and it was my FOURTH colonial shoe buckle this year!

 

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[Donnie B from VA]

Thanks. After reading this, I googled "Odd Fellows symbols" and learned about the 3 links of chain. This info is very important to me because I have a gold ring passed down to me from my Great Grandfather that has that 3-link symbol on it. I am grateful that you posted this and glad that I saw it...so, thanks!

My mother called me today and told me that her father was an Odd Fellow so if that it what it is then maybe I was meant to find it.

 

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[Donnie B from VA]

That was a great hunt you had there! Very nice rossette and shoe buckle, but the multiple watch winders on the same chain is amazing. The poor guy lost his winder and all his back ups. Just goes to show, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Or...maybe...he had a really complicted watch with multiple motions requiring multiple keys?

They had a few with multiple complications in those times (I think) but the vast majority would have been the single key wound pocket watches. This was a fairly large cellar hole and site so the guy had some money. I guess the mystery of the four watch winders will remain so forever. Here's a shot of the winders immediately after I dug them.

 

[JeffInMass]

Just awesome- Congrats for all the great finds!

 

[trdking]

complications have nothing to do with winding. Two completely different things. Watches were keyword and set till about 1860's then they could pull a lever and set the time and wound only with the key. Then they developed the two position crown that would set the time when pulled out and would when pushed in Around 1870? Complications refer to what functions the running watch has a second hand, up down wind indicator, moon phase date day etc....

 

[Donnie B from VA]

complications have nothing to do with winding. Two completely different things. Watches were keyword and set till about 1860's then they could pull a lever and set the time and wound only with the key. Then they developed the two position crown that would set the time when pulled out and would when pushed in Around 1870? Complications refer to what functions the running watch has a second hand, up down wind indicator, moon phase date day etc....

Thanks trdking. I'm a WIS (Watch Idiot Savant) and have several pocket watches but none of mine are key wound. They're old but not earlier than around 1900. I also knew what complications meant but wasn't entirely sure how a key wound watch would operate with complications.

 

[trdking]

Thanks trdking. I'm a WIS (Watch Idiot Savant) and have several pocket watches but none of mine are key wound. They're old but not earlier than around 1900. I also knew what complications meant but wasn't entirely sure how a key wound watch would operate with complications.

If a Key wound watch had complications it would operate the same as if it were stem wound . All a key does is wind the main spring and turns the train to set the time.

 

[xcopperstax]

I'm curious about these shoe buckles. How did they get in the ground? Did they "fall off" the shoes? Were the shoes old and thrown away with the buckle? They seem too substantial to just "fall off". Gary

I always wonder that too. Almost like you had to lose or throw out the entire shoe! Maybe the shoes wore out and they'd just toss them and not worry about recovering the buckles? Though I feel like people couldn't afford to waste stuff like that back then.

 

[Donnie B from VA]

I always wonder that too. Almost like you had to lose or throw out the entire shoe! Maybe the shoes wore out and they'd just toss them and not worry about recovering the buckles? Though I feel like people couldn't afford to waste stuff like that back then.

I would bet that many of the ones found were thrown away when shoe buckles went out of style. It was a dramatic loss of business for the buckle makers when they went out of style. I have read that the buckle makers even petitioned the King to try to force people into using buckles.

 

[johnnyblaze]

Love the buckle!Those watch winders are a rare find in that fashion,Gotta love the Cellar holes

~Blaze~